China’s sportswear giant Li-Ning got into hot water when netizens got upset about a possible new fashion line, looking very similar to Japanese military style. Marketing guru Ashley Dudarenok gives in Campaign Asia some advice on how to deal with such a PR crisis.Read More →
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised multiple questions on China’s relationship with Russia, Taiwan, and the USA. CFR-scholar Ian Johnson looks at the CFR-blog at a wide range of the international fallout of recent affairs. And can and will China bail out Putin from the economic and financial sanctions?Read More →
China watcher and CFR-scholar Ian Johnson opens a roundtable conference at the National University of Singapore on the question whether the world is heading for a new cold war, now the tensions between China and the USA have not diminished after the US president Joe Biden took over from Donald Trump.Read More →
China under President Xi Jinping is profoundly changing its attitude to the outside world, much more than a pandemic-driven closure of the borders, says political analyst Victor Shih to CNN.Read More →
Dolce & Gabbana (D&G) got three years into hot water over racist ads and remarks with China’s consumers, and the row did not subside, says business analyst Shaun Rein. “It’s probably the only brand that I’ve seen the Chinese stay angry at for so long,” he told CNN.Read More →
As the internet becomes a dominant sales channel in China, virtual key opinion leaders (KOLs) are becoming key for brands, says marketing expert Arnold Ma to the Jing Daily. As patriotism becomes an issue for global brands in China, they have to be careful in picking those virtual KOLs, adds Ma.Read More →
The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg are increasingly behaving like biased activists when it comes to China, says business analyst Shaun Rein at the state-owned CGTN. “I’m a big believer that they should have critics of China quoted, but then they should also have supporters of China quoted,” he argues.Read More →
Nationalistic sentiments at the recent National People’s Congress (NPC) triggered off proposals to abolish English translations on all government-related events in China. London-based author Zhang Lijia explains why that is the wrong move, and why learning English is still important, also for Chinese, at the South China Morning Post.Read More →
Getting into hot water with China’s consumers, its government or both happens regularly to foreign brands. Business analyst Shaun Rein uses the latest NBA-upheaval to explain how those boycotts work, and how foreign brands can deal with them, according to the Marketplace.Read More →
Quality, price and value drive China’s consumers, not patriotism, says business analyst Shaun Rein in the LA Times. They might say something patriotic, but that is not key for their purchases, although China’s media might suggest nationalism is most important for consumers.Read More →
Journalist Ian Johnson attended China’s National Day celebrations in Beijing and noted – apart from the military parade and obligatory propaganda, the crowd was different from earlier celebrations. “Tuesday’s crowd was different. It was made up of university professors, scientists, administrators, bureaucrats and people who had made some sort of contribution to the state. They weren’t props but excited participants who expected to remember this day,” he writes in the New York Times.Read More →
One hundred years ago students protested in Beijing for patriotism and democracy. President Xi Jinping has jumped on the centennial anniversary by praising the patriotism of the May Fourth protests. Commentator Zhang Lijia notes that he ignored that democracy was an inherent part of its legacy, she writes in the South China Morning Post.Read More →